


some know it lovingly

by Ejunkiet, the golden dears (Ejunkiet)



Series: rings and other gifts [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), So Much Softness, as it was needed, expansion of claude's S support, love and kisses and softness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22294456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ejunkiet/pseuds/Ejunkiet, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ejunkiet/pseuds/the%20golden%20dears
Summary: After the final battle has been won, Claude retrieves his family ring.--Later, much later, when he's alone in his room with just his books and trinkets for company, he replays that moment over and over in his mind, cheeks flushed, nails biting into his palms, and when he falls asleep he dreams of her, of warm breath and soft skin and missed opportunities.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: rings and other gifts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604776
Comments: 13
Kudos: 236





	some know it lovingly

**Author's Note:**

> So I recently finished my first play-through of fire emblem three houses (fear the deer route, obviously), and I started writing this maybe twenty minutes after reading the epilogue. These two are soft and perfect and I have two other half-finished stories about them that will eventually make their way into the series. 
> 
> Thank you evil_bunny_king for looking this over, and also!! you put me in claudeleth hell, this is your fault, and I love you for it.

After the final battle has been won, Claude retrieves his family ring.

It had been a gift from his grandfather, passed to him during one of those rare moments of lucidity before the old man passed. It had been the wedding band of the Duke of Riegan's late wife, intended for his daughter before - well, before him. He hadn't wanted to take it but the duke had insisted, and he hadn't been able to refuse him. 

He's glad for that decision, now.

He doesn't think his mother would miss it. She'd been content to give up her past when she'd handed in her title and left for her new life - she'd never looked back or made it known that she regretted that decision.

He's been carrying it for a while, waiting for the right moment - not an easy thing in war. Or after.

It's time, though. Peace has been restored to the sacred halls of Garreg Mach and at the cusp of the new moon, Claude sends a note to Byleth requesting her presence at the goddess tower.

Gods, he has never been this nervous.

It's not as if he's unsure of her feelings. He knows her almost as well as he knows himself, and he's certain of the bond between them, hardened over the years of fighting alongside each other. Winning a war takes more than strength - it takes trust and cooperation and knowing what you have and what you don't, and if there's one thing he's sure of, one thing he knows down to his very bones, it's that he has her.

They're partners in spirit, bonded through fellowship and blood, and he will love her until his dying day, in whatever form she will allow him.

_(At the feast celebrating the end of the war he'd almost forgotten himself, flushed with wine and victory, and when they'd leaned against each other, seamless from knee to thigh to hip, and she'd looked up at him with gleaming eyes and that soft smile, he'd barely stopped himself from kissing her, right there and then, in front of everyone they knew, stuff the consequences._

_If it weren't for the roles they'd been expected to play and the responsibilities that came with their positions…_

_Later, much later, when he's alone in his room with just his books and trinkets for company, he replays that moment over and over in his mind, cheeks flushed, nails biting into his palms, and when he falls asleep he dreams of her, of warm breath and soft skin and missed opportunities.)_

Now, after all of this time, after all of these years spent yearning, wishing, _hoping_ , it's finally time.

It's sundown, and he stands at the summit of the goddess tower, hoping that his word is enough.

His heartbeat thumps in his chest as he waits, loud enough that he thinks she can hear it when she rounds the corner of the stairwell, yet all he can think about is her smile when she sees him, the gentle curve of her lips that comes so easily now that the fighting is over.

_(Has he ever seen her smile like this before? Or does she reserve such sweet looks for him? )_

"I want to spend my life with you." His voice holds steady but there’s a slight tremor in his hands when he holds out the ring, his heart in his throat, and hopes.

When she takes it, he takes her hand and tugs her closer until she falls into his embrace.

Her laugh is warm against his neck, and he can feel the curve of her smile, feel her fingers curl into his shirt and hold him there. “Your path is my path.”

"Thank you, my love," he murmurs into her ear, feels her warm and solid in his arms, melting into him as he holds her close, and he marvels at the moment.

He can’t wait anymore - he kisses her. Soft and slow, the way he's always wanted to, a hand at her cheek, the other at the base of her neck, thumb against her pulse, feeling the rhythm of it. Her skin is soft under his palm, her lips softer still, warm and slightly chapped, and he stays there, learning the shape of her mouth until she huffs out a breath in annoyance and pulls him in closer, teeth digging into his bottom lip.

He loses himself in the heat of kiss, in the taste and feel of her, the way her body fits against his, soft curves against his hard edges. Her fingers find his hair, tangling themselves in the strands and pulling until he groans, holding her closer.

They stay there like that for a while, sharing breath until she sighs and breaks away from the kiss. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes bright, and he can't help the grin that splits his features at the sight of it, even as she narrows her gaze, bottom lip protruding in a pout. 

He resists the urge to lean in and taste that flush - there's a time and place for that, in a location more private than this - but he does allow himself to catch that lip, kissing her sweetly until she laughs and pushes him away again.

"How long will you be gone?"

He doesn't want to leave her. It's the hardest decision he's had to make since the start of the war, but it's one he has to make - they're so close now to realising the dream, to reshaping the future of both their lands for the better. So close - and yet, not close enough.

If he doesn't leave now, he's not sure if he'll have the strength to leave her later.

His palm finds her cheek again, thumb curving over the plane of her cheekbone. She watches him, patient, and he loves her with every fibre of his being.

"I cannot say for sure. But if all goes to plan, less than a year."

She nods, a tightness to her features that breaks when she smiles. 

"I will miss you."

He can't help himself - he ducks back in for another kiss, smiling into her mouth as she kisses him back with equal fervour. Relief, gratitude, love - all of it beyond words, and all he can do is pull her in closer, burying his fingers in the soft strands of her hair, as if he can keep her there.

They’re both panting when he finally breaks away, eyes slipping shut as he presses his forehead to hers, breathes her in.

"Not a day will pass when I don’t think of you.”

“And I you.”

\--

He parts with her at the summit of the tower and she’s beautiful - cheeks flushed pink, lips kiss swollen. His heart _aches_.

She doesn’t ask him to stay, and he’s grateful for it.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and/or kudos are greatly appreciated! Find me on tumblr (ejunkiet) and gush about FE3H with me~


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